


Almost Beautiful

by Pixie_Queen24 (FallenAngel69)



Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: Community: cookleta, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 12:45:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenAngel69/pseuds/Pixie_Queen24
Summary: David Cook returns to Idol to perform his new single, The Last Goodbye.





	Almost Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> From 2011

It was already top seven week of American Idol season ten and David was sitting in that all too familiar backstage area where he himself had spent many long hours just three years before. It was kind of surreal to think about. Those three years had passed so quickly and so many things had changed.

He’d gone from being blissfully happy and completely in love to moderately happy and still completely in love. His current surroundings brought back many happy memories and of course those led to all the painful ones that came later.

Those were the ones that made him sit in make-up looking rather depressed which was a far cry from his usual cheerful behavior. He wasn’t surprised when Ryan had come up to him and asked if everything was ok. “Yeah, man. Just remembering.”

Ryan patted him on the back. “I understand. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you guys.” And with that, he was gone, leaving David feeling even worse.

He looked over at Neal who was sitting in the chair next to his. “I am so not ready to do this.”

“Yes you are, Dave.” Neal’s tone left no room for argument as he got up to leave.

“I hope you’re right,” David called to him, unsure if he’d heard him or not. It wasn’t that he wasn’t prepared to sing the new song; he’d already done that a hundred times in rehearsals. It was just being on _that_ stage again; have all the memories associated with every other time he’d been there, and of course singing a song that had more meaning to him than he would dare let anyone outside of his circle know.

He remained seated in front of the make-up table even after the cosmetologist finished up and walked away. His mind was a million miles away at that point. In fact, he was so distracted by them that when he looked up at the mirror he thought he might be hallucinating. He stared at the figure for a moment, wondering if it would disappear if he took his eyes off of it. Finally it spoke.

“Hey, Cook.”

Letting out a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding David turned in his chair. “Archie…” The other man gave him a small smile, but remained silent. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were going to be on tonight, so I thought I would drop by and see you. You know, since I’m in town and all.”

“Oh.” David really didn’t know what to say. They hadn’t really spoken in months and he was more than a little surprised to see him there. Sure there had been a few instances when they’d exchanged a tweet or two or a text, but never directly. Never face to face. He wasn’t even sure _why_ Archie was in LA.

“Yeah. I heard that you’re doing a new song?” He asked rather than stated.

David nodded, feeling torn between happiness that Archie was still keeping tabs on him and resentment because Archie was acting as though this was _normal_. “Yeah. It’s the first single off the new record.”

“Can’t wait to hear it,” Archie said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Obviously this encounter was turning out to be just as awkward for him.

The room became so quiet they could have hear a pin drop and the tension could be cut with a knife, Honestly, it was making David’s nerves even more on edge and he wanted an escape. “I uh, I need to…” he motioned in the direction of the exit. “You know… the band...”

“Oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry for keeping you.” Archie watched as the older man got up and took a few hurried steps to the door. “David?”

David stopped, hesitating a little bit before he turned to see what Archie wanted. “Yeah?”

“Be awesome out there tonight.”

With a nod and a forced smile, David finally left the room in search of his guitar player and some much needed fresh air.

*****

David and his band put on one fantastic performance that night. The new song was received very well by the audience too. Well, the whole audience minus one. As soon as David left the stage, he was grabbed rather roughly by the arm and pulled into a small supply room. “What the hell?” He gasped in shock as the light was turned on and he was standing face to face with Archie who had tears streaming over his cheeks. “Archie?”

“That… that song… It’s about us, isn’t it?” When David didn’t answer, Archie’s jaw clenched in angry frustration. It was obvious that he was searching for the right words. “We were almost beautiful?” He asked. “I thought we were beautiful.”

“I thought so too, Archie. In the beginning we were! But then we were flawed.

“No. We weren’t,” Archie argued. “We were perfect and you… You just gave up on me.”

David felt a tinge of regret as Archie pointed his finger at him. “I never gave up on you. I gave up on _us_.”

“Why?” Archie had been waiting to ask David that question since the day he broke it off. He’d left him with no explanation other than “it’s just not working out anymore.” He’d accepted that at first, but now he needed more.

“Seriously, Arch? You have to ask that?”

“Yes, dang it!” Archie threw his arms in the air and actually raised his voice. “I want to know exactly why you thought that we couldn’t make it.”

“Fine,” David said, conceding to Archie’s demand. “Our lives were going two completely different directions, Archie. You didn’t have time for me anymore and…”

“ ** _I_** didn’t have time for **_you_**?” Archie interrupted seemingly appalled by David’s accusation.

“Will you let me finish? I’m not blaming you! You didn’t have time for me and I didn’t have time for you. I’m willing to admit some fault here too. We were both too busy.”

“We could have made time,” Archie said in a gentler tone than he had used before.

“But we never did.”

“Is that all?” Archie asked. “Is that the sole reason that you broke things off?”

David studied Archie for a moment, recalling the day when they’d parted ways for good. “Wait… I thought this was a mutual decision here, Arch. I merely suggested that we call it off. You agreed; quite quickly if I remember right.”

Archie remained silent. That was true. He hadn’t argued with David. He hadn’t fought to save what little relationship they had left. At the time, he was just as tired as David had been. Walking away from it seemed like the logical thing to do. It was an easy fix; one that ended up tearing up his heart. He hadn’t known what he really had until he didn’t have it anymore.

“However,” David continued after seeing Archie’s guilt ridden expression. “That wasn’t the only thing. I thought you weren’t interested in me anymore.”

“What?” Archie asked, thoroughly confused.

“We rarely talked Archie. Even with the little time that we did have, it wasn’t intimate like it should have been. I just got the feeling that you’d be happier tying your life to someone else; someone who could be there for you all the time.”

Archie lowered his head, blinking back more tears. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way,” he mumbled. “But honestly, Cook; I’ve never wanted anyone other than you.”

David bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling. “It’s ok, Arch. You didn’t know.”

“But I should have, Cook. I should have been more aware.” He sniffled softly and accepted the handkerchief that David pulled out of his back pocket and handed to him. “I’m uh… I’ve been making some changes in my life,” he explained. “I’m basing everything out of LA this time around.”

“Oh yeah?” David asked, wondering why Archie was telling him that.

“Yeah. I wanted to tell you that tonight. I uh… was hoping that maybe we could…” he choked back a sob. “Never mind.”

“Archie…” David reached up and put a gentle hand on Archie’s shoulder. “What were you hoping?”

Archie shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It might,” David suggested.

“After we… split,” Archie told him. “I was ok, ya know? I went on with my daily life and didn’t put too much thought into it. I was busy, of course, so I really didn’t have time to dwell on what had just happened. But then one day I arrived here in LA and I started to call you to let you know I was here. That was the moment that it hit me.” He felt David squeeze his shoulder encouragingly. “That’s when I finally realized that we were over, and oh my gosh, Cook, it hurt so much.”

David didn’t say anything he just breathed in a long, shaky breath and waited for him to continue. If that realization was anything for Archie like it was for him, he knew exactly what it felt like.

“I didn’t want that. I still don’t.”

“Archie…”

“I love you, Cook. I don’t want that to be our last goodbye.”

By that time, David had tears in his own eyes and his heart was thumping inside his chest. He pulled Archie into his arms and held him tightly against his chest. “Neither do I, baby… Neither do I,” he said while pressing an affectionate kiss to the top of Archie’s head. “I love you too much.”

Sobbing with relief, Archie hugged David’s waist tightly, fisting his hand in the back of David’s shirt as his head rested against his chest. “I’m never gonna say goodbye to you,” he murmured.

Closing his eyes, David laid his head on top of Archie’s and just breathed in his familiar scent. “I’m sorry for being such an idiot and thinking that it was best for us not to be together.”

Archie pulled away slightly so that he could look up into David’s tear-filled eyes. “Don’t…” he said as he reached up to press a finger against David’s lip which made David smile. “Let’s just start over.”

“That sounds like a fantastic plan,” David agreed before leaning in to claim Archie’s lips in a long, tender kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not know or own either of the Davids, this is just my wild, twisted imagination at work....deal with it. Yeah, there is a longer disclaimer that I should add but until then, don't sue me. I have nothing anyways.


End file.
